Charges dropped when Harrison cop's ex clams up

Charges were dropped Tuesday against a Harrison police officer accused of harassment after his ex-girlfriend refused to testify.

Sofia Saenz told a judge Tuesday that she would not take the stand against Officer Ralph Tancredi, subsequently leaving prosecutors without a case. "I'm extremely afraid of what the police and district attorney will do to me for not testifying," Saenz said outside of court. She suggested that she was coerced into filing the charges last year.

"I feel vindicated as a police officer," Tancredi said with Saenz at his side. The pair appeared to be a couple again.

According to Tancredi's lawyer, the case was payback for Tancredi and other officers suing the department over civil rights violations regarding the use of hidden video cameras at the station. That case is pending in federal court.

Tancredi, who is suspended without pay, still faces departmental charges stemming from the harassment case.

Harrison Police Department Chief David Hall denied the civil rights violations accusations and added that he believes Saenz refused to testify because she's afraid of Tancredi.